Love Story
by PHOBOPHOBIA
Summary: SHORT STORY with GA characters set in my 15th century China AU. little bit of OOC. Read and review please and thank you :D Wrote this at 3 in the morning haha.


**A Sad Love Story**

Sakura was found as a baby deep in the highland woods by an old lady and grew up learning the ways of medicine from her benefactor and mentor. Before the old medicine lady died, she told Sakura something that would change her outlook on life forever. The knowledge of medicine should never ever be known to a woman, young or old. Any efforts from women to learn the art of healing or medicine is punishable by death and is considered high treason to the country. Sakura learnt at her grandmother's deathbed that she was a criminal, and what she practiced was illegal.

Natsume was the captain of the 5th squadron of the royal kingdom of the Nogi's. He comes from a long line of warriors and whose status is high even amongst nobles. Natsume got lost in the allegedly haunted highland woods trying to look for the prince's escort who was missing from their hunting group. Because of the highland woods unforgiving denseness, and its thick canopy completely blocking out the sky, Natsume couldn't even rely on the night sky's stars to guide him back to civilization. Tired and famished, he finally collapsed from his horse. He was saved by a mysterious medicine man – a recluse who hid himself from the world in the thick woods, living off of the land and rarely journeying beyond the woods dark edges. The medicine man wore head gear that completely hid his face from view however his kindness towards a total stranger whose name he didn't even know lead Natsume to deduce that he was of no harm, even if he did not agree to exposing his face.

After a full day of resting, Natsume made a full recovery and bid farewell to the recluse and made his way out off the highlands with the directions given from the medicine man. However, after reveling in the comfort and familiarity of the capital city for a month, his curiosity finally got the upper hand and he ventured the long journey to the highland woods again in hopes of finding his benefactor and hopefully this time, able to return his debt in some way or form. After much difficulty, he found himself in the same but empty rickety old hut. He found the atmosphere although different, very comforting and even caught himself envying the recluse's simplistic lifestyle when suddenly he heard a noise, footsteps, and the owner of those footsteps was running. In such a secluded area, it didn't take much reason that he was the motivation causing whomever it was to take flight with such haste.

Natsume took off, his senses sharpened and honing into his target. A chase ensued. Natsume could see from how confidently his target was maneuvering through the thick dense woods that he was no stranger to these parts. The chase didn't last long however, his target was barefooted and wrapped in only an oversized tan cloak, making it that much easier for the young captain to tackle his objective into the leaf covered ground. He found out that the person underneath him was a woman – the very woman who hid herself underneath the guise of a medicine man. Natsume knew of the laws, a woman was forbidden to learn the secrets of medicine. He suddenly realized her intention of running from him. The woman he was pinning to the ground was a criminal…

Unable to resist his desire to be around the beautiful Sakura he unmercifully trapped the young maiden into following him back to his manor in the capital where she would manage his bed-ridden grandfather's most prized bonsai garden.

It wasn't easy but Sakura found she enjoyed tending to the huge garden and sometimes playing with the little children of the Hyugga manor. She quickly became a part of the Hyugga family's lives and both Natsume's grandfather – an esteemed veteran war hero – and his mother Yelan wished for the two to marry. And for a while it seemed that their wish wasn't very farfetched. Natsume soon proposed to Sakura.

However, a rebellion broke out in the neighboring province and Natsume and his childhood friend, the crown prince Ruka Nogi where ordered to the location to settle the problem. Natsume was injured and when news that the royal healer said he was beyond saving reached the Hyugga manor, Sakura rushed alone to her beloved's side and used her forbidden knowledge to save him. Ruka, found out that she was a criminal but kept it to himself as he too was in love with the young maiden.

Natsume soon made a full recovery and returned to the capital after the rebellion doused down. He was beyond happy that he could be with Sakura again and vowed that they would marry soon. Seeing his best friend and the woman he loved together, so happy and content, a jealous and obsessive monster evolved within Ruka. He wanted Sakura…

Torn apart by his anger, jealousy and obsessive love for Sakura, he did the most unthinkable thing. He revealed Sakura's identity as a medicine man and thus the royal court ordered the young bride to be apprehended on her very wedding night. Ruka told her that if she would be his, he would wipe clear of everything. No one would ever know that night happened and she would keep her life. Sakura feared for her life and for her husband's but made no effort to accept the crown prince's offer.

On the other hand, Natsume was completely enraged by Ruka's behavior and barged into the Forbidden City in an attempt to take back what was rightfully his – his wife… The emperor loved his one and only son very much but also thought of Natsume like his own son. He wanted to save Natsume from committing high treason against a member of the royal family so told him to divorce his new bride. Natsume refused and the captain was thrown into prison.

Natsume broke out of prison that night and made his way into Ruka's domain where he found his former best friend attempting to force himself on Sakura. Rage consumed him and he had no doubt in his mind that the crown prince would die by his hand. However Sakura couldn't bear herself be the reason why Natsume and Ruka would want to murder each other. Natsume took Sakura with him and escaped instead.

The two sought refuge in the highland woods once again. In Sakura's little hut, violently swaying in the thunderstorm, the pair consummated their marriage with great passion…

Natsume and Sakura headed for the neighboring country. The Southern Kingdom was diplomatically unfriendly with The Northern Kingdom so Natsume knew it would be a safe place for him and his wife to start anew. The journey to the Southern Kingdom took a full three months. During this time, Natsume reassured Sakura that his family in the capital would be unharmed as he knew very well of his family's history with the royal family. His grandfather once saved the late emperor's life and thus was bestowed the 'Royal Regalia'. The Royal Regalia could only be used once. It gave the possessor the authority to give one and only one order to the royal family. Natsume knew, it will pardon his family back in the capital from prosecution.

The couple started their new lives in the merchant city – Chien Dao – of the Southern Kingdom. They lead a very modest living managing their own little farm with money they traded in from what little valuables they had on them. They were content until Natsume saved a government official from a gangster affiliated attack and gained recognition from the official as a skilled and brilliant fighter. Sakura fell into an unnerving state. She felt that she was dragging her husband down with her. Natsume was such a fierce leader and warrior; he should be leading an armada instead of doing farm work. Natsume reassured that there was nothing in the world that could drag him away from her and that he was truly happy with her. They shared yet another passionate night making love.

With the night they shared, Sakura was feeling much brighter; in fact she was so beautiful she was practically glowing. Her unworldly beauty caught the eye of a skillful yet unknown artist at the time – Tsu Ando and unbeknownst to Sakura, her fated encounter with him inspired him to create her portrait. His work, themed Lotus Goddess which featured a Sakura sitting in the shallow waters of a water lily pond, propelled him to world class fame and word of the Lotus Goddess spread far and wide across the nation and beyond.

News of the Lotus Goddess unfortunately also reached the ears of the Ruka Nogi. Even though a year had gone by, the fire of Natsume and Sakura's betrayal still burned hotly in his soul. He wanted revenge, and still, more than anything, he wanted Sakura…

Now, as the emperor of the Northern Kingdom, he threatened all out war with the Southern Kingdom if they do not deliver the criminals to his feet. The government official recognized the wanted criminals as his benefactor and his wife. Immediately the gears started turning in his head. He was no ordinary government official; he was the Southern emperor's most wise and most trusted right hand man. He was the prime minister to be exact and he knew deep in his gut that there was more to this than the simple 'bringing convicts to justice' façade. The Emperor agreed with his advisor and ordered the two in question to be brought to him. As the story unfolds, both the emperor and his prime minister saw no reason why they shouldn't put an end to the Northern emperor's tyrannical rule.

The two rival countries went to war with Natsume and Ruka leading their respective armadas. Sakura begged Natsume to leave the battleground but Natsume firmly stood his ground knowing that it was the only way to settle the matter once and for all. The war went on throughout summer, spring and autumn but Natsume being more experienced in warfare than his enemy and his knowledge of their battle strategy was one step ahead of them in the end and with Ruka at his mercy, the opposing army surrendered their defeat but cheered for their former leader for freeing them from Ruka's iron grip tyranny.

Ruka was put in the Northern Imperial Court but it was evident now that he had gone mad with obsession. Sakura entered the court as a witness of the hearing. It was the first time Ruka had seen her since the night of their escape and the first time Natsume had laid eyes on her since the returning to the battlefield. She was – if possible more beautiful than ever and radiated pure joy upon seeing her husband. From the moment Ruka's mad eyes settled upon the source of his insanity and obsession, something roared within him, he vowed that he would have Sakura. He loved her so much. It was impossible for him to endure the sight of Natsume and Sakura reuniting again. In blind rage and madness, he took hold of his guard's weapon and lunged towards Sakura, plunging the sharp metal right through her heart. The guards tackled the madly laughing madman to the ground but the deed was already done.

Royal healers rushed to Sakura and Natsume's side in a frenzied attempt to save her life. But the wound was impossible to heal. The blood she lost was too much. The life that two powerful men so brutally fought over and fought for could not be saved…

Natsume fell into deep depression after Sakura's death. Constantly blaming himself for ever leaving her side. He loved her so much it was torture to go on living without her. He began to hate the world, he hated damn artist for ever creating the Lotus Goddess, he hated how beautiful the portrait was, he hated how it reminded him so much of his departed wife. He wanted to run to the deepest, darkest prison cell of the Kingdom and kill the man who ended Sakura's life. But the sight of the madman wailing and mutilating himself in crazed remorse was more than enough for Natsume to leave the pitiful man alone to dig his own grave. Ruka had fallen and so has his kingdom. Natsume couldn't do anymore. There was nothing left to do to the man…

Now appointed as the General of both Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the only reason for living and source of joy Natsume had in his life was a gift from his late wife, a pair of gifts in fact, a pair of twins – a beautiful pair of twins. They were conceived the night before Sakura met Tsu Ando, and they were the reason that Sakura's beauty was enhanced so much beyond compare. Oh now bitter fate is, that the children he made with Sakura through their love and passion would be the trigger to so many unfortunate things.

But he loved their children. Syaoran had his mother's hair and eyes but otherwise he was undeniably a miniature version of Natsume. And Sakura – named after her mother – even only at 3 winters old was the splitting image of his late wife. Natsume knew what he had to live for; he knew that Sakura would have wanted him to watch their son and daughter grow up.

Natsume would join Sakura in heaven one day, but before then, he will – with all his power and prowess – protect his family and country.

The country that was born of Sakura's death…


End file.
